Description from Foscarini:

Visible concrete is part of the language of modern architecture and, with Aplomb, Foscarini presents a model that uses this material with completely new and innovative technology. The material is translated, from large-scale architecture to a small suspension light, for interiors making it an elegant product with a simple formality, inspired by a material that has always been linked to the world of construction. This is what also inspires its name: Aplomb, a plumb-bob traditionally used by masons. However, aplomb also means ‘self-possessed, confident’, like this lamp that distances itself from aseptic minimalism with all the material richness of concrete. Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: Pieta-Linda Auttila
Location: Valkosaari island in Southern Harbour of Helsinki, Finland
Building owner: UPM Kymmene
Construction: 30 to 40 m² / 150 m³
Structure: Wood
Coating: Native woods, Glass
Concept and Communication: Trust Creative Society
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: UPM

WISA Wooden Design Hotel is an architectural gem of wood situated in the maritime heart of Helsinki, capital of Finland. Around it lie the city and 200 years of architectural history. The work was designed by interior architect Pieta-Linda Auttila. She hopes to spark interest in wood and highlight its role in building and interior design. Read the rest of this entry »

Art/landscape: Jill Anholt
Drawings and models: Jill Anholt Studio
Photography: Martin Tessler
Location: Vancouver, Canada

The concept for Line of Work is inspired by the “ripple effect” or more specifically the notion that single elements working together can become more than the sum of their parts.  The sculpture is composed of a changing series of individual elements that together create a giant wave-form that reaches out towards the sea.  The elements grow in both size and reach along the edge of a pedestrian pathway connecting the Vancouver Convention Centre to the Seawall and forming an increasingly protective enclosure; a concept that carries throughout the project from the overall sculptural form, to materiality and construction, and to the organization of the text within the piece. Read the rest of this entry »

French architect Jean Nouvel presents an office wall system for Italian brand Methis at Superstudio Più in Zona Tortona. Called Hook, the system comprises metal strips with hidden joints. Shelves and containers can be hung from gaps between the strips.

“Creating architecture,” affirms Jean Nouvel, “means imbuing personal’s creation, be it a building, a piece of furniture or a garden, with the values of one’s own culture and civilization.” When he designs an object or a piece of furniture, the architect first thinks about functionality and about achieving an “elementary design” that corresponds to the essence of things. Read the rest of this entry »

The landscape architects at Martha Schwartz Partners designed the square to be the main attraction of the newly renovated Dublin riverfront; with the completion this month of architect Daniel Libeskind’s Grand Canal Theater on the its southern perimeter, the plaza is now just that, a great connector and main meet-up spot that establishes the theater in relation to the river, to the surrounding buildings, and to the vital spirit of Dublin itself. Read the rest of this entry »

A series of cubes, 250 cm length, conceived within the framework of the of the photo studio the Small Bird will leave. Cubes are designed by Atelier 37.2 with extensive use of steel and wood. Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: Gnädinger Architects
Project Type: Healthcare and Office Space
Location: Berlin, Germany.
Year: 2009

The building was designed for the Otto Bock HealthCare company, a world leader in prosthetics and orthotics. The organic-dynamic design of the six-storey building is based on the principles of nature – as a model of harmony between technology and people. Read the rest of this entry »

Designer: EOOS, Austria
Manufacturer: Walter Knoll

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Project Type: Interior Design, Hospitality
Architect: Wiel Arets Architects
Client: Hotel Zenden
Location: Maastricht, The Netherlands

The Hotel and Sport School Zenden is located within three monumental town houses near the river Maas in Maastricht, the Netherlands.  The hotel’s history begins in the late sixties, and originally contained only a pool for swimming lessons. Over the years other functions such as hotel rooms and a Judo school were implemented into the program. Upon the facilities reaching spatial limits, a renovation and reorganisation of the program was needed. Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: eins:eins architekten
Project type: Restaurant, Interiors
Collaborators: Christoph Roselius & Julian Hillenkamp
Year: 2009
Photography: Studio Uwe Gärtner

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